


The Swords of the Betrayed

by This_fandom_nerd1018



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Brynjolf - Freeform, Dark Brotherhood - Freeform, Dark Elf, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, First Kiss, Khajiit - Freeform, Kodlak Whitemane - Freeform, Love Triangles, M/M, Minor Violence, Multi, My First Fanfic, My First Work in This Fandom, Orc, Romance, Skyrim Main Quest, Slow Burn, Thieves Guild, We tried, Work In Progress, alduin - Freeform, breton - Freeform, dark brotherhood astrid, have lots already typed up, high elf, it wont take a long time to update we promise, not too much though, please dont hate it, please read it, wood elf
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2017-02-12
Packaged: 2018-07-19 14:56:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,972
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7366426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_fandom_nerd1018/pseuds/This_fandom_nerd1018
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Orc Stronghold was all Alodon had ever known, after the Breton boy had saved a young Orc girl from a bear and was granted access to the community.  He had expected to spend his life there, until he was exiled. With his best friend, Dreamgutta, by his side, and guilt weighing on his chest, Alodon was forced to travel Skyrim in search for a new life. On the way he meets crazy people, leads a guild, and is presented with a quest to fight Alduin and save Skyrim. </p>
<p>This is our first fic and we hope you like it! Please leave constructive criticism in the comments!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! So this is a fanfiction me and my friend are writing and we want to put it here for people to read so that we can get some feedback. Please comment what you think of what we have so far. The story takes place in Skyrim and the character Alodon is the dragonborn. There are many other characters that haven't been introduced into this chapter, so look forward to that!

His words would define him. At that moment, what he said would be who he was. If he lied he was a coward, but if he told the truth he was a traitor. The choice was difficult. The Stronghold had always been his home, and the Orcs his family. What was he to do without them?

"Alodon you have committed a great crime against our people. We work hard to keep this Stronghold together, and to feed our children. By allowing a thief to escape with our food and our treasure, you have cracked the foundation of our community." The Chief spoke with anger laced through his voice. It was obvious Alodon would not be staying, whether he lied or told the truth. The Chief had always wanted him to leave. "What do you have to say to yourself?"

"The boy was starving. He had a family to provide for, and we have more than enough for this stronghold." He was barely speaking over a whisper. Alodon had no home, and the stronghold was all he knew. If The Chief sent him away, what could he possibly do?

"The rules set by Malacath are simple, do not kill, do not steal, and do not attack people without reason. You have not broken this rule, but allowed another to do so. Regrettably," The Chief grimaced, as if what he was about to say was truly a crime in it's own. "There will be no blood price to pay. However, you will no longer be welcomed in this stronghold. I understand that you saved our dear Dreamgutta years ago, and if not for you, she would not be with us today, but you have broken our trust now. I expect you to be gone by morning tomorrow." Alodon was surprised by the silence. Where were the roars of disagreement? The arguments on his behalf? Why were they all so okay with him being sent out into a cruel, unforgiving world? He didn't understand.

Alodon walked quickly to his hut, and began filling a bag with all of his important belongings. He was sad, and felt like sitting down and having a good ol' cry, but he was also smart. Smart enough that he knew he couldn't let anything show. Not with these people, not with orcs.

"This is outrageous!" Alodon was startled by the loud voice of his best friend. Dreamgutta, one of the chiefs many, many daughters, threw herself onto his bed. She was muscular, bigger than him even, and put a lot of stress onto the makeshift contraption. "They cannot just send you away! You are an important part of this society!" She crossed her arms across her chest in a childish fashion.

"It's for the good of the Stronghold, Dee." He continued to pack, hoping to get out of there before night fell. He did not want to see the everyone the next morning when he would be officially exiled.

"Yeah, if my father was the Stronghold. He hates you, and he's only doing this because he hates you." She was right. The Chief had worked his whole life at getting Alodon exiled from the Stronghold; he never liked him, but the other Orcs had thought it was only fair to give the orphan boy a home after he had saved Dee's life. "I can't just sit here and watch you leave. I have to do something, Al." She sat up quickly, and he sat next to her.

"No," Dee's shoulders slumped over in partial defeat. Alodon swung his arm around her, and pulled her close. "You don't Dee. It's already done, I'll be gone before the sun sets. Thank you, for giving this home to me while you could." Dee pushed him away and sprung up from the bed.

"I can't believe you're just giving up! Alodon this has been your home your whole life, how can he just take it away like that? I'm not going to let him." Dee turned on the balls of her feet, and stomped out of the hut. Alodon raced after her in an attempt to keep her from making matters worse.

"Dee stop!" He shouted at her, but she ignored him and continued to march to her father's home. Alodon followed her, and planned to intervene when the fight began. Dee pushed the door open easily, and began to scream the minute she saw her father.

"You can't just make Alodon leave, what he did was nothing compared to what will happen to him outside of this Stronghold." Dee was furious. Her face was a dark shade of red, and sweat had gathered on her temples. Her father, however, was calm as he could be. Alodon found it quite frightening when the Chief acted like that.

"It is for the good of our people, Dreamgutta, I do not expect you to understand." The Chief turned away, giving Alodon a nasty look in the process. Dee looked like she had been slapped in the face.

"What I do understand is that Alodon is our people. He is just as much of an Orc as I am." Dee was shouting at the Chief. Alodon reached out and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the line of fire.

"Alodon is no Orc. He is weak, he is selfish, and he does not belong with our people." Chief was standing now. His brows were pulled in tight, his eyes were large, and his whole body tense with anger. The truth came out. Alodon knew why no one protested his leaving: because he didn't belong there, and they all knew that.

"If you make him leave," Dee was breathing hard. Her shoulders were slumped, and her arms were shaking. She looked back at Alodon, giving him an unexplainable feeling of guilt. "Then I'm leaving too." Chief's face dropped. Alodon grabbed Dee's arm and pulled her around. Their eyes locked; her's held determination, and his held silent pleads for her to stop.

"Dee, don't do this." He was begging her; guilt was already stacking itself upon his shoulders, he could not be the reason she left her family. His grip on her was lost when she turned to face her father, awaiting an answer. Her body was held up with such confidence, anyone could tell she would not be backing down.

"Then leave." Dee stumbled back. Her stance crumbled as her father delivered the lowest blow possible for an Orc. Her face broke down into a million pieces, and there was nothing Alodon could do about it. "If you are willing to give up all of this for a boy? Then leave." Dee did not wait for another word before she was out the door. Alodon stood in disbelief of what he had just witnessed. So many emotions flew over his head; anger at Chief, disappointment in Dee, and hatred for being the reason she had to leave. Without a second thought, Alodon fled the scene.

Once outside, he spotted Dee almost immediately. She was carrying two bags. One was his that he had just packed, and the other was her bag she had stashed at his hut whenever she hadn't wanted to go home. That was how they worked, when she needed him to, Alodon would sleep on the floor and give her his bed. He had always felt obligated to do so.

"Dee, what are you doing?" He was worried about her. She had just gotten into this fight, nothing that she was thinking could be considered sane at this point. She tossed his bag at him, and stopped when she was standing at his side.

"We're getting out of this place." Dee walked forward with such determination, Alodon could do nothing but follow her. His mind was racing for a joke to make, but nothing he could say would make this situation suck less. All he could think of was how he failed Dee as they crossed the path out of the Stronghold for the last time.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been two weeks. Two weeks since her father looked her in the eyes and told her to leave him. Two weeks since the people she had called her family became strangers to her. Al was the only person she had left.   
The two of them had made it halfway to Morthal. They were camping out by Rorikstead, but neither had any money. They were stuck hunting, and sleeping in the cold night. It was rough, but nothing the two of them could not handle.   
Every night they would sit around a small fire. Dreamgutta wanted to speak to him, but there was no way. He looked at her with so much guilt that she could barely stand to grab his attention. It was like everything had changed. She had gone from his best friend who would stand with him in everything, to the poor girl he dragged away from home. Every day, they walked in silence. The only words exchanged were directions, or talk of when and where they would be finding their next meal.   
However that all changed one day. The morning sun was bright; heat bounced off of Dreamgutta’s back. She spent the beginning hours preparing herself for another silent day, when Al popped into her tent. For just a moment, she could not breath.  
“So I’ve been thinking,” Al’s face contorted into a smile of sorts, something he had been missing for the past couple of weeks. “You know how there’s the Dark Brotherhood, and the Theives Guild and so on?” Dreamgutta wanted to run and hug him, but she did not want him to think she felt guilty for the silence. So instead, she just nodded. “Well, we should start our own guild.”   
Dreamgutta could not help but laugh at that suggestion. It seemed the silence had driven him mad. “Al that is the most outrageous thing I have ever heard.” She passed him to make her way out of the tent, but he grabbed her.   
“Just hear me out.” Dreamgutta sat on a chest beside her, and waited for him to speak. After a minute of silence, he began again. “We were both betrayed by the orc stronghold, we have nothing. We could go join a guild, or we could make our own. Even the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild had a beginning, why can’t a new one begin? We could call it ‘The Swords of the Betrayed’. Anyone who has been betrayed in any way can join.” Al looked so proud of himself for this one. He seemed excited, but Dreamgutta knew this idea of hsi would get tossed in the back with all of the other genius ideas he has had before.   
“And what is it that we would do?” She decided to humor him. Al shot her a very questioning look. “Well the Dark Brotherhood kills,” she elaborated, “and the thieves guild steals, so what would we do?” She could see the gears moving as Al thought. Two minutes passed of him pacing back and forth through the tent.   
“We would do everything!” Al straightened his stance and began to act out what the guild would be like. “We would have thieves, and assassins,” he tiptoed around and grabbed random items from Dreamgutta’s tent, “and we would perform random jobs, like clearing out bandits, or destroying a vampire clan!” She laughed hard at his performance. For a moment, it seemed like the past two weeks of silence had never happened. For a moment, it was like they had not gotten thrown away from their home.  
“Then what the hell,” Dreamgutta knew that their was no way to stop this boy when he set his mind to something. She did not want to fight him, and she did not want to lose these moments. Orc’s had betrayed her, but Al had not. “Let’s start a guild.” 

 

Trees surrounded them; no matter what direction they turned, all they saw were the vast forests. Al refused to admit he had gotten them lost. It seemed they would be a short lived guild. They had traveled far in the past few days, but once they entered the forest everything had gone wrong. Al believed it was a shortcut, but it had put them back at least two days.   
“Al this is hopeless,” Dreamgutta sighed, and slumped against a tree, “we are never getting out of this place.” Al ignored her, continuing to climb the tree. Well, attempt to climb the tree.   
“Not if you keep saying that.” He huffed out. His arms were shaking, and his feet kept falling from their spot on the trunk. It was no surprise when he came crashing down on the ground next to Dreamgutta. “Oh this is hopeless!” She would have laughed if she hadn’t heard the footsteps.   
“Quiet,” Her instincts kicked in, and she pulled two knives up in defense. Leaves were cracking all around them. Someone or something was out there.   
The sounds came from every direction; she had no idea where to face. Al pulled out his swords, and stood back to back with her. Dreamgutta heard growling and immediately knew what they were dealing with. “Wolves,” she whispered to Al. Suddenly a wolf jumped out of the shadows towards Al. Dream turned a quickly threw a knife into it’s side. The wolf backed down, but it would not be long until it rejoined the fight. More wolves exited the shadows, soon there were too many to count. She and Al separated and began to fight. Al cut through the animals with his swords, and Dreamgutta stabbed them with her knives.   
There were too many for the two of them to defeat. No matter how many they cut down, more would fill their spots. They seemed to be multiplying. It all seemed pointless to fight, but then something dropped in front of Dreamgutta. All of the wolves stopped.  
“Do not kill them!” The young girl screamed. She was a wood elf, a small one, who had to be no older than seventeen. She held her hands out, in a crouched position, to the wolves. Al and Dreamgutta slowly backed away until they were together. In a few seconds, the wolves turned and ran away.   
After the last one was finally gone, the girl stood and turned. They could do nothing but stare. Not only was she young, and covered in weapons, but she had a dark scar on her jaw. A mark of fire. Sticks and leaves were tucked into her long, red braid, and her outfit was covered in mud.   
“You are lost,” she spoke softly, and formally. Her eyes stayed on them, but her body seemed to shrink down. “Follow me.” She turned and began to walk away. Neither one of them moved. How could they follow this girl they had just met? She stopped and turned, “Or stay here and never make your way out. It is you choice.” The girl ducked under a branch and disappeared. Al looked at Dreamgutta and then sprinted after the girl. She had no choice but to follow. 

 

Once they had finally made it to the edge of the forest, the girl immediately began to walk away. She did not give any more directions, and did not wait for any gratitude.   
“Hey,” Al shouted after the girl. She turned and gave him a questioning look. “Why don’t you come with us?” The girl took a few steps closer to them.  
“I do not know you, and you do not know me.” Her voice was shaky. It seemed she wanted to be rid of the two of them, but she was so young, how could they just leave? This poor girl needed others to help her survive.   
“Well then,” Al reached his arm out to her, and she flinched away. His smile slowly faded from his face. “I am Alodon,” he said softly. She grabbed his hand lightly and shook it. Everything she did was so timid, so different from the girl in the forest. “What’s your name?”  
“I am Thaenaen Duskthom.” Her eyes found the ground as she spoke her name. Dreamgutta noticed the girl's hand rested on the hilt of her sword. A defensive move, showing how long this girl had been on her own. It took a moment for her to realize the girl's eyes were resting on Dreamgutta.   
“I’m Dreamgutta,” She introduced herself to the timid girl. Thaenaen, the girl had said. A typical Skyrim born wood elf name. Al moved closer to Thaenaen, with the smile back on his face.   
“So, you with us or not?” It was silent for a moment, but then the girl’s hand dropped from her sword. She walked closer to both of them, and nodded sharply. “Welcome, to The Swords of the Betrayed.”


	3. Chapter 3

It was odd. She had been alone for so long, that it was odd having someone there with her. Not just someone, two someones. Both welcomed her with open arms, but neither invaded her privacy. It was odd in a good way.   
“Can I call you Thae?” He had asked her. Nicknames are for friends, not strangers. These people were not her friends. To her, they were only providers of food and shelter. But she secretly liked it.  
The two talked so freely, as if not one had more or less to say than the other. The man, Alodon was who he introduced himself to be, laughed a lot. It was a strange laugh; loud and hearty, with a volume to it that wasn't typically found in laughs around Skyrim. The girl, however, was quieter. Her laugh was small and short. Her voice so soft it had to be carried by the wind in order for anyone to hear what she was saying.   
Thaenaen purposefully walked behind them; scared to be forced into awkward conversation. They were leading her back to their camp. She had many questions, but decided to remain silent. Quiet and calm, her mother had always said. Quiet and calm.   
“Welcome to the guild’s camp,” Alodon waved his hands around to get her attention on the small shelter. It was nothing much: two tents, a fire, and a couple of horses tied up. Certainly it could not have been a camp for a guild. Much too small. “Make yourself at home.” Thaenaen walked around.  
“You call yourself a guild, but there are only two people?” She couldn’t help herself. There were too many questions. What was this? Why did they offer her protection? A spot in their guild? All they knew about her was a name, how could they be sure it was even her name? There was no way to know if they could trust her, but they did, and that perplexed her.  
“We’re a new thing. You know, even the Dark Brotherhood had a beginning.” Thaenaen didn’t like the way Alodon talked to her like a child. She knew more than he probably did.   
“What do you call yourselves? If I may ask.” Dreamgutta gave her an odd look, and Thaenaen just waited for someone's hand to come hard across her face. This was all so odd.   
“We are the Swords of the Betrayed.” Dreamgutta answered, eyes shining with pride at this thing she and Alodon had created. “You are one of us now, Thae. You are a Sword.”   
“Thank you Dreamgutta,” she bowed her head to the orc. “And thank you, Alodon. I will not fail you.” She spoke in a hushed tone. Alodon burst out laughing.   
“God, don't be so serious!” His voice wheezed out between the laughter, and his body slumped as he threw himself onto the ground. He was such an odd man.   
“Ignore him.” Dreamgutta advised her. Thaenaen couldn’t help but stare at the young man, rolling on the ground like there was no tomorrow. “And call me Dee. Most people do.” Dee carried herself in a way that when she was trying to be friendly, she seemed to be giving orders. It was something Thaenaen was used to, taking orders, and she enjoyed having a piece of her normal life coming with her on this new adventure. Dee walked over and pulled Alodon up from the ground. He took a moment to catch his breath.  
“Call me Al, if you want to.” Alodon’s voice was surprisingly even. Thaenaen was terrified. So many nicknames. So many signs of friendship. Friends are people you trust. Could she trust these people?  
“I wish to retire to my tent, if I may… Al.” It seemed to dawn on Al just at that moment that Thaenaen was not messing around when she spoke. That the way she worded everything was cautionary. That she spoke like a servant.   
“Of course. I’ll, uh, show you to your tent.” His whole persona changed in a second. He went from joking to serious. From happy to confused. In the darkness, Thaenaen followed more by the sound of his heavy footsteps. The walk to the tent seemed to take forever, when it had only been a few seconds. “Here you are, home sweet home. Dee and I will sleep in the other tent, so you feel more comfortable. If you need anything, don’t be afraid to come and ask us. Um… Goodnight.”  
Without a thought, Thaenaen attacked him with a hug. The whole day seemed to finally catch up with her. The wolves, the instant welcome, the feeling of being home. Al had taken her in without question. She could finally sleep without the fear of freezing to death before morning comes. Food would never be a problem again.   
“Thank you, Alodon.” She muttered against his shoulder. This man was her savior. Without him, she probably would have died alone in the wild. The thought of sleeping on a roll up bed was the force to pull her from Al, and into the tent for the night.

 

Waking up the next morning was a bit terrifying, if she had to admit it. The lack of air hitting her face was one thing, but the fact that Alodon was crouched down poking her side was a whole new situation for Thae (she had decided she liked the nickname). She felt like screaming at him or punching him, but she did not want to screw this up.   
“Good Morning Sleepyhead.” Al stood up and smiled at her, offering a hand to help her up. Thae stared at it as she raised herself from the ground, unsmiling. Al dropped his hand and shook his head, laughing at the girl. “Okay then…”  
“Never wake me up again.” The air of the tent had changed from awkward to friendly the minute Thae opened her mouth. Seeing how Al and Dee spoke, Thae thought it would be fun to join in on the joking and bantering. “Or I will punch you.” Al smiled the biggest smile Thae had ever seen on a person.   
“I just thought you’d want to know that someone’s here to see you.” Thae turned, looking at the door of the tent. Furrowing her eyebrows she walked outside, brushing past the tent flaps. When she stepped out the sun blinded her for a moment, and she shook her head, still not awake. When her vision cleared, there was a large dog. Thae stepped forward, bending to the dog's level. She found that it was not a large dog, but a small wolf.   
She reached out her hand to the wolf, and the canine eagerly placed his head in it, expecting her to pet him. Laughing, Thae looked at the wolf, wondering why he came to her. Then she saw it. On the wolves left back leg was a large gash, bleeding down his leg. Thae slowly pet the wolf's neck ,then back, trying to get closer to the wound. Upon further inspection she saw that it wasn't very deep, but the wolf was probably left behind because of it. He was small, the runt most likely. Used as a shield because he wasn't as important to the pack, then left behind because of his wounds.   
“Al, hand me some bandages please,” She frantically asked, holding her hand out for him to place them in. Immediately after she got them, she wrapped the cut with little fuss from the wolf. When she was done she sat back on her heels, looking at the overly happy wolf. Thae stood and took some stew when Dream handed it to her, sitting on a log near the fire. The wolf stood up and limped over to her, sitting by her feet.   
“Hey Thae, I think your little friend wants some food. Want me to give him a bowl?” Alodon asked. When the elf nodded he scooped some meat from the stew into a bowl and handed it to her. Thae looked at the wolf before putting the bowl near her on the ground. The wolf looked between her and the bowl, making sure it was ok for him to eat it. When he decided it was ok he quickly ate all of the food offered to him. Then he layed back down at her feet, the perfect, obedient runt.   
“I guess we’ve got a new member of the guild.” Dee laughed quietly. Thae took a moment to look over the two of them. Such an odd pair, an orc and a human. They acted like siblings, but obviously did not grow up with the same lifestyle. Dee was muscular, tall, and serious. She was quieter than Al, and her personality did not boom quite as much as his did. Al was very handsome, Thae noted, but he was also at least five years older than her. He was crazy; she did not think he had ever heard the words inside voices.   
“Speaking of new members,” Al lead them over to a pile of logs he had set up for a fire, and a few logs set down to sit on. “Why don’t we get to know our little Thae?” Thae slowly sat down, keeping her eyes low. What would she tell them? That she had been sold as a slave as a child? That ever since she’s been on her own? She wouldn’t tell them anything. “What’s your story?”  
“I do not have one.” She lied. Stay quiet, blend in. Survive.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place a year before the previous chapters. Its a backstory of a new character who y'all will see plenty of later!

“Sorry, but I really need the money,” Adaie said running the dagger through the man's stomach, looking him in the eyes the whole time. She didn't want to forget the people she's killed, she didn't want to become a murderer who doesn't even give a single thought to the deaths she causes. She's seen quite a few people in the brotherhood like that, and they never lasted long.   
The man's body slumped to the floor. The poor sap never even suspected the small girl looking for shelter in the storm, never thought that she would end up killing him. 

Adaie wiped of her dagger on the man's shirt and looked through his dressers and chest. She grabbed about seventy gold, a few dresses, arrows, and some food. Then she set out, back to the Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary, back home. 

Adaie jogged through the woods, sneaking around travelers and avoiding the paths. When she finally reached the sanctuary, she gave the door the password and walked in. She traveled through the short hallway and saw Astrid, standing in the doorway. 

“Hey Astrid, I finished the contract. I just have to go confirm with Nazir,” Adaie said, trying to walk past Astrid. 

“Adaie, wait. Tell Nazir that I am sending you on the special contract, he'll know what one I'm talking about. I have faith that you will be able to do it just fine,” Astrid replied, no emotion in her voice. Adaie nodded, slipping past the blond woman. She jogged through the main room of the sanctuary, nodded a hello to all the other assassins in the room. She eventually got to the dining hall, where Nazir sat. 

“Ah, Adaie. I hope the last contract is finished?” he asked when he saw the young girl. 

The redguard nodded, burgundy curls falling into her face. “Ya, he didn't suspect a thing. I even got a few new outfits from his house.”

“Very good, do you need another contract?”

 

“Yeah, Astrid said that you have a special job for me?”

Nazirs face darkened, his brow furrowing, “Yes,” he said slowly, “There is a special job, but I didn't expect her to send you on it. It's a difficult job. You know the companions? And all the rumors about them being werewolfs? Well someone figured that the rumors are true, and they want to send a message to them all. They didn't have any solid proof, but its not my job to get the proof, just to do the job. The job is to kill Kodlak Whitemane. The leader of the Companions. He's a strong man, if a bit old. You up for the job?”

Adaie thought for a moment, the man would be hard to kill, but she suspected that he wouldn't suspect her. One of the perks of being a small girl, no one thinks that you'll kill them when their backs are turned. She finally decided that she would take the job. As young as she was, she's been an assassin as long as she could hold a dagger. Her mother was part of the Brotherhood, as was her father. Her father died while her mother was still pregnant with her. Not even on a job, just sickness. Her mother and Astrid were close friends, and they often took jobs to do together. But on one contract, Astrid slipped up, and her mother paid the price. Astrid never forgave herself for that one, and raised Adaie herself, for the girl was only three years of age when her mother was killed. Occupational hazard. Astrid raised her to be strong, raised her a fighter, raised her to kill. Her first kill was some old homeless bum that a landowner wanted gone, he kept trespassing on their property and the owner was not a patient man. Astrid sent Adaie. She killed him no problem, if a bit disconcerting, because of her mere five years of age. Ever since then she had been in this life, some old man shouldn't be too hard to deal with. 

“I'll take the job. Im sure I can do it,” she decided out loud. 

Nazir nodded, handing the girl her contract, one look at the paper and the girl spun around and left the sanctuary, ignoring Astrid on her way out. 

When Adaie finally got to Whiterun, she stopped for a break and went into the inn. 

“Can I have a room for the night?” She asked the innkeeper. 

“Sure thing hun, 10 gold for one night,” the innkeeper replied. She led Adaie to her room and politely left, closing the door behind her. Adaie threw herself onto the one person bed, the only other furniture was the empty chest at the other end of the small room. Adaie decided that today would not be the day to kill the old man She was tired from traveling and even though she had killed with less energy than this, she simply did not want to. The girl rolled over and decided that sleep was the best option right now. 

The next day, Adaie awoke with a feeling of boredom. She ran an old comb through her curls to calm them a bit, changed into clothes that protected her, but also kept her mobile (This outfit was a dark leather top that covered her torso and shoulders with a dark long sleve shirt under, and dark sturdy pants). Then the girl shoved everything into her bag and jogged down the stairs for some food. 

“G’morning miss, would you like anything to eat?” the innkeeper asked when she saw Adaie appear. 

“Yes I would, thank you. Anything is fine, I'm not picky,” Adaie replied, sitting on a log by the fire. The innkeeper told the cook and within ten minutes there was a plate of some meat and fresh fruit handed to her. She ate the food, thanking the cook and innkeeper, then she left, heading to Jorrvaskr to make a plan. 

The assassin crept around the building looking for her target. She saw him talking to a few other companions, all armed. She would wait for the night to strike, when it was less likely for there to be witnesses. Until then, adaie walking in circles looking for the best way to get into the building and where the beds were. As far as she could tell, the beds and personal rooms were underground. She looked around the whole hall to find the best window for her entry and exit point. She found a window and opened it, placing a small stick in the opening so that she could easily get back in once night fell. Then she walked around the town, buying and selling clothes, jewelry that she ‘happened’ across during her previous contracts, and some fruit to keep her full until the night. 

Once it was twilight, Adaie was heading back towards Jorrvaskr. Once she confirmed that there wasn't anyone in the main hall she slipped in through the window, leaving it propped open. She raised her dark brotherhood mask, hiding the majority of her face from view. Then she snuck across the hall to the stairs that led to the base floor. Adaie peaked around corners and hid behind barrels to get to the end of a long hallway, where the target was asleep. Adaie opened the door to his room and then silently closed it behind her. She looked up at the bed, and saw the man was asleep. Normally when the target were asleep it was fairly easy to kill them, they didn't even have a chance to yell. Adaie pulled her favorite dagger from her sleeve and silently padded over to the bed, placing the knife above the man's throat. 

Luck never seemed to be on the poor girl's side, as the man awoke, nostrils flared. Of course. He was a werewolf, and he could smell an intruder in his room. Adaie moved, quick and silent as a mouse, and ended up behind a small dresser, squished between the hard wood and the wall. The old man sat up, placing his feet on the floor next to the bed. Now, most people would look around their room, see no one and go back to sleep. At least, that's what has happened in the past. This man knew that there was someone in his room, he could still smell the intruder and hear another heart beat in the room. Granted, the heartbeat was not the normal sporadic beat of someone who was caught, but instead a steady strong beat, ready for whatever happened. 

Kodlak stood and faced the direction of the dresser, “I know you are there, there is no point in hiding.”

Adaie decided that standing and fighting was better than being trapped behind a piece of furniture. She slipped out from her hiding spot and faced the man, daggers at the ready. 

“Now, girl, why are you here? I know that face mask you wear, Dark Brotherhood if I am correct. I don't know who would want to kill me, but I do know that you have a job,” he said evenly, “You don't look as old as the other members of your family, you are but a child! I don't want to hurt you, you have much to live for still.”

Adaie glanced at the door, just because she was caught now doesn't mean that she couldn't come back later…

“Now hun, don't think about it. If you leave now and I have no reason for you to stay away, you'll just come back. And this will repeat, or I'll call for my men, who will surely outmatch you,” he whispered. 

Adaie stared at him, he was smart, not at all senile. She shifted her weight, ready to fight. Even if he called his men, she was quick, a bunch of big hulking men were not as fast as she was. 

Before she even had a moment to think about her movements, the dagger was already out of her hand and flying toward the man, who quickly side stepped, the dagger grazing his arm, instead of hitting square in the chest as intended. 

“Now kid, you're a weapon down. Now what?” he asked, “You can leave, but you have to give me some guarantee that you are not going to come back. Your name, your family name perhaps? I need something that will keep you away. I won't go and hurt anyone, but the knowledge that I could is what keeps them all away.”

Adaie snapped into action, the second dagger switched to her right hand and she dove, aimed for his right arm, disable him first, then kill. He moved, quicker than she thought he would, the dagger barely grazed him, a mere papercut. 

He swung his arm out, hitting her against the wall. She fell to the ground and rolled to her feet, glancing at the door, but no one else came in. 

Kodlak took another swing at her, missing by a mile, as she had dodged and was behind him, she slashed at his back, missing as he spun to face her. 

They spun around each other in the small room, each trying to pin the other to where they could attack. The older man had the upperhand on size, but that also made it easy for the short girl to dodge under his arms and around him without being caught. 

“Kid, you really don't want me to put my all into this fight, but you,” he said, dodging her knife once again, “are proving to be difficult.” He took a step back, and Adaie took that chance to grab at the other dagger still on the ground where it had landed when she had thrown it. When she turned back around the man was transforming, already half wolf half man. Adaie backed up, not prepared to fight a full on wolf. She ran to the door, trying to escape while she could.   
Nazir never said he was actually a werewolf! Well, I guess he didn't say he wasn't… Adaie thought, only a few steps into the hallway.

She suddenly jerked forward, falling to her hands and knees, and she could feel a large bruise forming on her back where a large paw struck her. She crawled towards the exit, glancing back to see the wolf. He was towering over her, at least twice the size he was before. Adaie jumped to her feet to run the last bit to the door, to her escape. A clawed paw hit her shoulder, spinning her around, and then another hit her in the face. Her hand flew to her right cheek, trying to asses the damage. She saw the wolf pause, take a step back, and then turn back human. 

She backed up, still in shock from the fight, Kodlak now stood in front of her, eyes almost as wide as hers. 

“I'm so sorry, I only meant to scare you off, I didn't mean to-” he broke off, realizing that she wasn't listening. She still was backing away from him, her eyes never leaving him, looking for any sign that he was going to attack her again. Once she was sure he wasn't going to, she spun and ran through the door and up the stairs, barely noticing that her mask had been torn off when he scratched her. She ran across the hall and out the window before she had time to process what had happened. She ran across Whiterun and to the stables, asking the carriage man to take her to falkreath, ignoring the looks the man gave her, ignoring her wounds. 

On the ride to Falkreath Adaie dressed her wounds. She didn't need any stitches or anything, well, she probably did. But she wasn't going to put any in herself, and she definitely wasn't going to let astrid know how bad it really was, so she had no one to help her with it. Therefor, she didn't need any stitches. 

When the carriage stopped she stepped out of the back, careful not to jostle any of her wounds.   
“Hey kid, it's not any of my business, but are you ok? I know Dark Brotherhood armor when I see it, but I'm not here to judge. We’ve all done things that are not the best choices probably. Do you need help? To get away from this life, to get medical care, do you need to talk?” The carriage coach asked her, concern on his face. 

Adaie really looked at the man for the first time. He wasn't young or old, he had probably seen about 45 summers, “Thank you sir, I am ok injury-wise. But I messed up, and I don't know if I'll be allowed to stay with the brotherhood. I might have to leave, and then-” she broke off suddenly, “Then I'd have nowhere to go…”

The man nodded, understanding her situation, “Well, how about I stay here in this city for the night. And if in the morning you are here, waiting, then I can take you back to another city for free. So you can get a new start. And if I wake up and you aren't here, then I'll know that you are okay. Sound good?” he offered, trying to help her.

Adaie nodded, smiling at the man, “That would be very kind of you, thank you so much.” Then she ducked her head and walked away, over the hills and through the trees to get to the sanctuary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! Comments and Kudos are always greatly appreciated!


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